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| Association of Professional Chaplains | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association of Professional Chaplains |
| Abbreviation | APC |
| Formation | 1962 |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Region served | United States |
| Membership | Professional chaplains |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Association of Professional Chaplains.
The Association of Professional Chaplains is a United States-based professional association that certifies and advocates for board-certified chaplains serving in hospitals, hospices, prisons, universities, and military settings. It interacts with organizations such as American Hospital Association, National Association of Social Workers, Department of Veterans Affairs, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and World Health Organization while engaging with faith communities including Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Methodist Church, Southern Baptist Convention, and Reform Judaism.
Founded in the early 1960s, the organization developed amid conversations involving National Council of Churches, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, American Jewish Committee, World Council of Churches, and academic partners like Columbia University and Yale University. Its growth paralleled developments in professional certification similar to American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, and American Board of Medical Specialties. Key historical influences include hospital chaplaincy movements connected to Johns Hopkins Hospital, hospice innovations led by Dame Cicely Saunders, prison ministry reforms associated with Federal Bureau of Prisons, and military chaplaincy trends within the United States Army and United States Navy.
The association's mission emphasizes professional certification, ethical practice, and interfaith competence, aligning with standards from Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Institutes of Health, American Psychological Association, and Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Objectives include setting certification benchmarks similar to American Board of Medical Specialties, promoting continuing education with partners like Harvard Medical School and Stanford University, fostering interfaith dialogue with Interfaith Youth Core and Parliament of the World's Religions, and advocating before policymakers such as offices within the United States Congress and Department of Health and Human Services.
Membership categories encompass clinical chaplains, clinical chaplain interns, board-certified chaplains, and organizational affiliates drawn from institutions like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Kaiser Permanente. Certification pathways require theological education from schools such as Union Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College, Pontifical Gregorian University, and clinical pastoral education often provided by sites affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital and UCLA Health. Certification processes reference standards comparable to American Board of Medical Specialties and credentialing practices employed by American Nurses Credentialing Center and Association of American Medical Colleges.
Governance includes a board of directors, executive leadership, and committees that collaborate with entities like American Hospital Association, National Association of Social Workers, American Psychological Association, Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, and academic partners including Duke University and University of Pennsylvania. The board draws advisors with experience in settings such as Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, World Health Organization, and United Nations health programs. Bylaws and governance practices reflect nonprofit standards present in organizations like American Red Cross, United Way, and American Bar Association.
Educational requirements include theological degrees from Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary, Emory University School of Theology, and clinical pastoral education accredited through the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. Professional standards incorporate ethics drawn from documents produced by American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, National Association of Social Workers, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and international guidance from the World Health Organization.
Programs offer board certification, continuing education, clinical pastoral education partnerships with Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, mentorship modeled on programs at Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, and resources for chaplaincy in crisis contexts like collaborations with Federal Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security, and National Guard deployments. Services address professional ethics, credentialing support akin to American Board of Medical Specialties, and member benefits comparable to those of American Nurses Association and American Psychological Association.
The association partners and advocates with organizations including American Hospital Association, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Department of Veterans Affairs, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, National Association of Social Workers, Interfaith Youth Core, and international partners like World Health Organization and Parliament of the World's Religions to influence policy, advance reimbursement recognition, and integrate spiritual care standards into institutional accreditation and disaster response frameworks exemplified by Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Red Cross.
Category:Religious organizations based in the United States